CORNEAL INLAY WITH NUTRIENT TRANSPORT STRUCTURES

• US 20120143325A1
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Published: 06/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corneagen, Inc. (SightLife, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Acufocus, Inc.
• Inventors: Christie, Bruce, Peterson, Edward W., Van De Pol, Corina
• Granted Patent: US 9,427,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 623/5.13
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/1451 Inlays or onlays
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/15 Implant having one or more holes, e.g. for nutrient transport, for facilitating handling
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0024 made from both porous and non-porous parts, e.g. adjacent parts
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/046 Contact lenses having an iris pattern
• CPC Class Codes: G02C 7/165 with stenopaeic apertures

Abstract

Corneal inlays and masks and methods of improving vision of a patient with corneal inlays and masks are provided. Masks with an aperture can improve the vision of a patient, such as by increasing the depth of focus of an eye of a patient. For example, a mask can have an annular portion with a relatively low visible light transmission surrounding a relatively high transmission central portion, such as a clear lens or aperture. This provides an annular mask with a small aperture for light to pass through to the retina to increase depth of focus. The mask may also include nutrient transport structures that provide nutrient flow through mask to prevent nutrient depletion. These nutrient transport structures can be configured to concentrate nutrient transmission near a center region of the mask to provide more nutrient flow near the center region.

Claims

1. A corneal inlay comprising:

an anterior surface configured to reside adjacent a first corneal layer;

a posterior surface configured to reside adjacent a second corneal layer;

an opening configured to transmit light therethrough;

an outer zone adapted to substantially prevent transmission of light therethrough, the outer zone having nutrient transport structures disposed therein, the outer zone being configured to provide enhanced nutrient flow at locations spaced away from an outer periphery of the outer zone compared with locations adjacent to the outer periphery of the outer zone.

2. The corneal inlay of claim 1, wherein the outer zone comprises a first region and a second region at least partially disposed between the first region and the opening;

and further wherein each of the first and second regions comprises nutrient transport structures disposed therein and one of the first and second regions is configured to have enhanced nutrient transport compared with the other of the first and second regions.

3. The corneal inlay of claim 2, further comprising a third region disposed between the region with enhanced nutrient transport and an outer or inner periphery of the corneal inlay.

4. The corneal inlay of claim 3, wherein the region with enhanced nutrient transport is configured to have greater nutrient transport than the third region.

5. The corneal inlay of claim 4, further comprising a first annular band disposed adjacent the opening and a second annular band disposed adjacent the outer periphery.

6. The corneal inlay of claim 1, further comprising one or more annular bands disposed adjacent the opening, adjacent an outer periphery of the corneal inlay, or both adjacent the opening and the outer periphery of the corneal inlay.

7. The corneal inlay of claim 1, wherein the locations spaced away from the outer periphery have higher porosity than locations adjacent to the outer periphery.

8. A mask configured to be implanted in a cornea of a patient to increase the depth of focus of the patient, the mask comprising:

an anterior surface configured to reside adjacent a first corneal layer;

a posterior surface configured to reside adjacent a second corneal layer;

an aperture configured to transmit light therethrough;

a substantially opaque portion extending at least partially between the aperture and an outer periphery of the mask, the opaque portion comprising an inner region, an outer region, and a central region disposed between the inner and outer regions;

a plurality of holes disposed in the inner, outer and central regions and extending between the anterior surface and the posterior surface; and

wherein the central region comprises a first porosity, the inner region comprises a second porosity, the outer region comprises a third porosity, and the first porosity is greater than the second porosity or the third porosity.

9. The mask of claim 8, wherein the holes in central region have an average hole size that is greater than an average hole size of the holes in the inner region and an average hole size of the holes in the outer region.

10. The mask of claim 9, wherein the inner, outer, and central regions comprise about the same number of holes per unit area.

11. The mask of claim 8, wherein first porosity is greater than the second porosity and the third porosity.

12. The mask of claim 8, wherein the central region is located at less than about 40 percent of the annular width of the mask from the inner periphery.

13. The mask of claim 8, wherein a maximum porosity is located at about 40 percent or less of the annular width of the mask from the inner periphery.

14. The mask of claim 8, wherein the holes are positioned at irregular locations to minimize the generation of visible artifacts due to the transmission of light through the holes.

15. The mask of claim 8, wherein the tendency of the holes to produce visible diffraction patterns is reduced by having a plurality of the holes having a first hole size, shape, or spacing and at least another plurality of the holes with a second hole size, shape, or spacing different from the first hole size, shape, or spacing.

16. The mask of claim 8, further comprising an inner peripheral region disposed between the inner region and an inner periphery of the mask, the inner peripheral region substantially devoid of holes.

17. The mask of claim 8, further comprising an outer peripheral region disposed between the outer region and an outer periphery of the mask, the outer peripheral region substantially devoid of holes.

18. The mask of claim 17, further comprising an inner peripheral region disposed between the inner region and an inner periphery of the mask, the inner peripheral region substantially devoid of holes.

19. A mask configured to be implanted in a cornea of a patient to increase the depth of focus of the patient, the mask comprising:

an anterior surface configured to reside adjacent a first corneal layer;

a posterior surface configured to reside adjacent a second corneal layer;

an aperture configured to transmit light therethrough;

a substantially opaque portion extending at least partially between the aperture and an outer periphery of the mask, the opaque portion comprising an inner region, an outer region, and a central region disposed between the inner and outer regions;

wherein the central region comprises a first nutrient transport rate between the posterior and anterior surfaces, the inner region comprises a second nutrient transport rate between the posterior and anterior surfaces, the outer region comprises a third nutrient transport rate between the posterior and anterior surfaces, and the first nutrient transport rate is greater than the second or third nutrient transport rates.

20. A method for improving the vision of a patient, the method comprising:

providing a mask comprising an anterior surface configured to reside adjacent a first corneal layer, a posterior surface configured to reside adjacent a second corneal layer, an aperture configured to transmit along an optic axis substantially all incident light, a substantially opaque portion extending at least partially between the aperture and an outer periphery of the mask, the opaque portion comprising an inner region, an outer region, and a central region disposed between the inner and outer regions, a plurality of holes extending between the anterior surface and the posterior surface, and wherein the holes are positioned at locations in the inner, outer and central regions, and the central region comprises a first porosity, the inner region comprises a second porosity, the outer region comprises a third porosity, and the first porosity is greater than the second porosity or the third porosity; and

inserting the mask into a cornea.